MAU dominates Agawam in dual

BENNINGTON -- Because of illness, the Agawam (Mass.) Brownies came into Friday night's dual meet against Mount Anthony Union High School a bit undermanned.

Of course, the way the Patriots were going, it may not have made a difference.

MAU won 12 of the 13 contested bouts, racking up a 72-3 rout at Kates Gym with dozens of alumni in attendance.

"They weren't at full strength, but we wrestled aggressively in all areas," said MAU coach Scott Legacy.

Agawam coach Armando Ramos was content in how his wrestlers stepped up in the face of a tough opponent.

"We wanted to compete with MAU to get better and we're trying to start a good tradition, just like here," Ramos said. "These are stepping stones for us."

Before the meet, much-decorated alums were recognized for their contributions to the program and the Patriots rode that high for the entire match. Starting at 285, Jesse Webb won his 120th career bout and 10th of the season, pinning his opponent Nick Hope in 1 minute, 11 seconds.

"That's how Jesse is attacking every match. His mindset has changed," Legacy said. "He's wrestling like a man."

Calvin Call continued his hot start, pinning Daigan Bishop in 51 seconds. Troy Gassaway made it 18-0 after a pin. At 120, freshman Garrett Derosia and Agawam senior Connor Liebel battled in the best match of the night. Down 5-4 with less than 30 seconds left, Derosia scored a reversal to take the lead, but Liebel escaped with nine ticks remaining to go to overtime.

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In OT, Liebel scored a takedown 11 seconds in for the 8-6 decision.

After a forfeit at 126, Miguel Calixto kept his unbeaten start at 14-0 with a pin in 16 seconds of Matt Plumador, then Bailey Willard pinned his opponent, Jon Sad, in 27 seconds.

Houston Shaler continued the pin parade at 145, falling his challenger in 1:21. Then Jacob Woodside earned his first varsity win at 152, scoring a 10-0 major decision over Anthony Podmore.

"Jacob was a little nervous coming in, but he was aggressive," Legacy said. "His first-period takedown was key and he was aggressive from the bottom."

At 170, Tyler Mattison won by pin in 53 seconds and Austin Price won with a 10-1 major decision. At 195, Brandon Marcoux-Schaefer scored 10 points in the first 1:50 before pinning his opponent.

"All three of those guys are wrestling with extreme confidence," Legacy said.

To finish at 220, Jack Luciano and Nick Blais went to the third period in a scoreless tie, but three technical violations on Blais for locking his hands turned the tide in a 9-0 major decision.

After the match, Legacy said he had "goosebumps" as all the alumni were introduced pre-match, including their accolades wrestling for MAU.

"It's tough to put into words," Legacy said. "There's amazing support for the tradition at Mount Anthony. It's just not about this year's team. It's great to see them."

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